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Millions of women are alive today because their physician spotted a potential health issue early and successfully treated it. Millions of women are alive today because THEY decided to see their physician regularly for recommended screenings.

Hearing the words “You have breast cancer” (or any kind of cancer) can be emotionally destructive. You hear the words but your mind is overcome by a tidal wave of questions and feelings. Denial. Helplessness. What if’s? What now’s? Even “take charge” people can be thrown into shock and depression – their thoughts and lives brought to a screeching halt.

Medical personnel call it “door-to-balloon” time. For the rest of us, it means how quickly can a heart attack patient make it from the door of the Emergency Department until a Cardiologist uses an angioplasty balloon to open a blocked artery. McLeod Cardiologist Fred Krainin, MD explains that time is critical to a patient’s recovery:

“Cancer is not one disease,” says McLeod Cancer Committee Chair Dr. Rajesh Bajaj. “It fact, it’ a group of perhaps thousands of different diseases, which have some common characteristics. For this reason, cancer treatments are very complex and increasingly personalized.”

“’Pelvic Health’ is a new phrase used among professionals in women’s health,” says McLeod Gynecologist, Dr. Charles Tatum. “We know what it means, but to the layperson, the descriptor can be confusing or even misleading. To clarify, pelvic health refers to five areas of concern that affect more than 1 in 3 women.”

American cardiologists are turning to an alternate technique to diagnose heart artery blockages that has a number of benefits for the patient. McLeod Cardiologist Fred Krainin, MD, explains sending a catheter through the wrist, rather than through the leg.

“Pelvic relaxation may sound like something pleasant but that is definitely not the case,” says McLeod Gynecologist, Dr. John Browning. “The phrase is another way of describing pelvic organ prolapse – or the failure of a woman’s body to support the uterus. At its worst, the condition can result in a woman’s uterus, bladder, small bowel, and even the rectum protruding from her vagina and cervix. Thank goodness there are a number of ways to solve this problem.”

“When it comes to discovering breast cancer, a woman can do a self-exam, looking for lumps or changes in the size or shape of the breast,” says Radiologist Dr. Noel Phipps, Medical Director of McLeod Breast Imaging. “Also, a physician or nurse can perform a clinical breast exam, feeling for lumps or other changes. Or the gold standard for diagnosing breast cancer is the mammogram. But the questions many women face are 1) when should I start getting mammograms and 2) how often should I get a mammogram?”

Many people with chest pain will find themselves referred to a cardiologist for a test to find heart blockages. McLeod Cardiologist Fred Krainin, MD describes the role and process of the cardiac catheterization:

Total knee joint replacement surgery has been performed for about 30 years. Over those years, incremental improvements in materials and designs have raised the expected life of the “new” knees to 10 to 20 years.

Problematic heartbeats caused by electrical misfires can be treated a number of ways – with medication, ablation, as well as with a surgical treatment called MAZE. McLeod Cardiothoracic Surgeon Cary Huber, MD, explains how MAZE is accomplished:

“It is not easy talking to someone who has a life-threatening health issue, even for those of us who deal with it every day,” says McLeod Oncologist, Dr. Sreenivas Rao. “So, we understand how difficult you find it when faced with a friend or family member who is a cancer patient. This article includes some suggestions and some straight talk directly from cancer survivors.”

“Total joint replacement is great. But it’s not magic,” says McLeod Orthopedic Specialist Barry Clark. “Patients return to many of the activities that they did – or were trying to do – before surgery. Range of motion is increased. Pain is reduced or alleviated. Quality of daily life returns. However, joint replacement doesn’t make you younger, run faster, or golf better than you did before your joints became a problem.”

“We know the problem is caused when the endometrium -- blood and tissue that is normally shed monthly from the uterus -- starts to grow outside the uterus,” says McLeod Gynecologist Rebecca Craig, MD. “Yet, there’s still much we have to learn endometriosis.”

When your heart beat changes from a normal pattern to one so irregular that it can sound like shoes bouncing around in your dryer, one diagnosis is Atrial Fibrillation. McLeod Cardiothoracic Surgeon Cary Huber, MD, discusses the condition, symptom and possible treatments:

The information on this site is intended to increase your awareness and understanding of specific health issues andservices at McLeod Health. It should not be used for diagnosis or as a substitute for health care by your physician.To report technical issues, please contact us. Public Access to Information or To Report a Concern.